A former governor of Kaduna State, Malam Nasir El-Rufai, has raised the alarm over alleged threats to his life, claiming that certain forces want him to go into exile.
However, he declared that he would not leave Nigeria.
El-Rufai, one of the founding members of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), said he intended to spend more time in Nigeria despite the perceived threats.
The former governor, who has recently expressed disappointment with President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s administration and the APC, is currently in Cairo, Egypt.
In a post on his verified X handle, El-Rufai reacted to a claim by a user, Imran (@IU_Wakilii), who alleged that there were plans to arrest him upon his return to Nigeria. El-Rufai said he had been aware of such rumours since 2024 when the Kaduna State Assembly’s report against him began circulating.
He wrote: “I have been hearing these same rumors of arrest, detention and torture in some dungeon in the NSA’s office (where Emefiele was allegedly tortured to resign as CBN governor), since July 2024 when the so-called report of the Kaduna Assembly began circulating.”
El-Rufai and the NSA, Nuhu Ribadu’s camp have been locked in a heated verbal war after Hajiya Najatu Muhammad, a former Commissioner at the Police Service Commission (PSC), claimed in a viral TikTok video that Ribadu once labelled President Bola Ahmed Tinubu as corrupt during his tenure as Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).
He added, “They freaked out when we challenged the legality of the premeditated defamation, and went to every length to compromise the judicial process, and this is continuing at the Court of Appeal.
“They have sent similar messages of intimidation and threats through many of my friends, family, and political associates because they want me to go on exile. I will not.
“I have now put all my previous academic and language-learning plans on hold and will spend more time in Nigeria than ever before. Silence is no longer golden. Inaction has never been an option.
“The arrest, detention and torture of perceived political enemies are nothing new in human affairs. I have been arrested and detained thrice in the past for expressing my views about previous governments.
“There is always a morning after the arrest, detention, or torture and political life continues. As for death, it comes when Allah destines it, and it is ultimately the fate of every human being,” he said.
El-Rufai further stated: “For the attention of the pathetic characters that don’t sleep well whenever I am in Nigeria, take notice that I intend to return in time for the launch of President IBB’s memoirs, in sha Allah, scheduled for February 20.
“We depend on no one but Allah. We fear no mortal but Almighty Allah. We always hope for the best but plan for the worst.”
In another post, El-Rufai shared an article titled “2027: South West, Tinubu’s supporters playing with fire” by Uche Diala where the writer highlighted the dangers of taking the North for granted for any leader. The writer alluded to this as the major reason that led to the ousting of former President Goodluck Jonathan in 2015, warning President Tinubu to be careful not to end up with the same misfortune.
One of El-Rufai’s sons, Bashir, also posted a cryptic message on his X account, which stated: “Lmao. Na the biggest mistake Pablo Escobar & his henchmen will make.” He added another: “When they stop what they are doing, we will stop what we are doing because everybody knows what they are doing. Khalas.”
In response to El-Rufai’s recent criticism of the APC and Tinubu’s administration, Daniel Bwala, Special Adviser to the President on Media and Policy, dismissed the former governor’s statements as mere complaints.
During an interview on Arise TV’s The Morning Show on Tuesday, Bwala argued that El-Rufai’s remarks should not be seen as opposition politics since he remains a member of the ruling party.
“Most of what Nasir El-Rufai kept talking about, I do not consider as opposition politics because he is not in the opposition. That’s the marked difference between when I criticised the president after leaving the party and when you’re within the party and fighting,” Bwala said.
When asked if he agreed with El-Rufai’s criticisms of the Tinubu administration, the presidential aide said he did not, pointing out that when people criticised El-Rufai during his tenure as governor of Kaduna State, he dismissed them as bluff.
